North Bergen man pistol-whipped in home invasion, police say

NORTH BERGEN – A 56-year-old township man was tied up and pistol-whipped Thursday morning in an apparent case of mistaken identity, according to police.

Shortly before 4:30 a.m. Thursday, police received a report of a home invasion at a residence at 61st Street and Newkirk Avenue, Capt. Patrick Irwin said. When officers responded, they met with the victim, who said that he, his wife and his two young children had been asleep when four Hispanic men wearing masks forced their way into the home.

The man was tied up and assaulted with a handgun by the men, who demanded he give them cash. His wife, who was also bound, was held in another room with the couple’s two children, an 8-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, Irwin said.

The victim managed to break free and ran through a sliding-glass door to a neighbor’s home, where he called police. The attackers had fled by the time officers arrived, Irwin said.

The man was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was treated for cuts and head wounds inflicted by the gun, Irwin said.

Police believe the victim may not have been the assailants’ intended target, as there is no evidence that he was involved in any activity that would have lead him to have large sums of money in his home, said Irwin.